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Political and media opponents of the president's Iraq
policy seem to think it supports their position to note the
trepidation of the American public at the prospect of war.
While 65-70 percent of the public supports war with Iraq so
long as we go in with allies and the endorsement of the United
Nations (both of which conditions will be met as the result of
President Bush's last two months of diplomacy), it is also true
that there is fear and doubt in the public mind. Moreover, at
least half (and perhaps more) of the public is also very
worried about the economy.

But these facts are not evidence of weakening public
support for war or Mr. Bush. Rather, they are evidence of an
extraordinary public trust in the president's leadership. After
all, the president has not charmed the public into bellicosity.

He has not promised the public a quick, triumphant and
bloodless victory. Since September 11, he has constantly
warned that we live in danger, that the struggle against
terrorism will last beyond his presidency and that further
terrible blows will surely be our lot. He has spoken
repeatedly, as no president has ever done, about the real and
imminent risk of mass annihilation of millions of Americans by
nuclear, biological and chemical assaults. He is in the process
of reorganizing our government to meet the dangers. He has
warned that while he will try to find allies, we must be
prepared to fight alone, if necessary. And since the very
beginning of his presidency he has warned that the economy
is weak; that we are on the bad side of the bubble.

A lesser president, and more to the point a lesser public,
might have retreated into defeatism or denial. But the
American public - G-d bless them - have taken in the
facts with a sober maturity. While many Europeans and much
of our own alleged elites habitually take delight in sneering at
the American public, all the polls and all the anecdotes
disclose our public to be the world's bulwark against chaos.
No, we are not going to be whistling off to war. We are
without illusions, and many are with fear. But, as Ernest
Hemmingway said, courage is displayed by grace under
pressure. And surely we are under pressure. And surely
Americans are displaying courage.

The strong public endorsement of the president is thus not
a false and unreliable support conjured up by a misled or
beguiled public. It is a sturdy thing, built with truth. And when
the pollsters ask the public if they have doubts and fears, they
respond with truth. Yes, they are worried about their jobs,
their retirement investments, their children's future in a dark
world, the prospect of prolonged and inconclusive war. They
are worried about whether we are getting too involved with
foreign lands and strange peoples. They are even worried that
the president is not focusing enough on the domestic
economy. This is an adult conversation that - surprisingly to
the elites - does not see the world in black and white. This
is the kind of conversation that parents have after they have
put the kids to bed and brought the account books out. It's
not New Years Eve with glitter and champagne. It's the
morning after, with headaches and responsibilities. And the
American people are coping, while the pollsters and pundits
are probing them for evidence of weariness, indifference or
hostility.

Let them probe. Here in Washington, they will find
parents taking their children to school and going about their
business even though there is a sniper in our midst. "Are you
afraid?" "Yes." "Are you going to hide in a hole?" "H-ll no."
On the West Coast, there are thousands of independent
truckers reliant on business from the closed ports. "Are you
losing money?" "A lot." "What are you going to do about it? "
"Work harder when the ports reopen." In Louisiana, the
hurricane floods have hit hard. "Have you lost much?"

"Everything." What are you going to do about it.?" "Rebuild."
These are the Americans who support the president as we
prepare for war. They stand upright, even if a hard rain's
a-falling.

10/02/02: Needed: A political chromatograph to detect any true statements in the public domain09/25/02: Buchanan's new mag09/18/02: There are many forms of peace09/11/02: The imperial period of our history starts09/04/02: Memo to Powell: In periods of upheaval, the refusal to act gives aid to those bent on destruction 08/30/02: Logging old growth is a sham issue